During one of my campaigns, I informed a concerned citizen about the practice of corporal punishment presently taking place in the classrooms of 21 U S states and its territories.  I informed her that the primary targets for this type of abuse are black and brown children and those with mental disabilities and autism.  Her response was, “If you really want help with your campaign, you would be better off going to agencies that service special needs populations.  Black people are not going to come to the rescue of black children.”

My response to her statement was that I believe that black people who are responsible and caring will come to their rescue when informed.

In my nearly three years of campaigning for having corporal punishment banned in U S public schools and its territories, I have come to realize, regarding this matter, that there are three types of African American adults:

Our children are our most precious resources.  I appeal to the adults of the minority groups most affected by this brutality, that is, Black Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans, to stand up for the rights and protection of these children.  They will continue to be targeted for this form of abuse until we band together to stop it.

While I demonstrated in front of the Capitol Bldg. in Wash D C in January 2009, I asked at least a dozen white passerbyers this question:  If black teachers, particularly males were the biggest paddlers and white children, particularly white girls were being paddled the most, would corporal punishment still be legal in U S public schools?”  Each one responded in like manner, “No way!  We would never put up with that!”  But, if it’s good for a child, why would the race of the child and paddler matter?  And, why are we putting up with it?

Black and brown girls are paddled by the hundreds each day by black and white male educators and administrators.  In some cases the witness is a male as well.  Protocol for having a female adult present during the paddling of a girl is completely ignored by those who count on us remaining uninformed or indifferent to this violation of these girls’ rights. Some are paddled while on their cycle wearing feminine products (the school is not permitted to ask the intrusive question, “Are you on your cycle at this time?” so they paddle away).  Yet if a black male teacher paddled just one white girl, it would be all over national news.  (Check the statistics for yourself.) 

Black and brown girls are just as precious as any other ethnic population.  If it is not okay for black male teachers to spank even just one white girl, why is it okay for white males to spank black and brown girls by the hundreds every single school day (Check these statistics too.) 

Furthermore, we all know that no educator would paddle the president’s children.  They are, indeed, most precious and beautiful.  So are all children.  Imagine the look on the face of the head of our president’s daughters’ school when a transplant from Texas walks in and says, “Real nice to meet you, Head of School.  Thanks for offering me a teaching position here.  And don’t worry…I brought my paddle.  Isn’t it a beauty!”

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Thank you,

Paula Flowe, Director,

The Hitting Stops Here!

“A campaign for teaching kindness and respect in schools everywhere.”